Are you wasting your content?

The call to action is one of the most important parts of any content you share. A call to action is what drives audiences to take action whether you’d like them to buy, share, or talk with you. But not all calls to action are created alike. Here’s how you can create effective social media calls to action.

In this article we’ll share effective social media calls to action as well as the most important things to keep in mind when creating one. 

You can’t have them all

It can be tempting to ask your audience to do all sorts of things after viewing your content. Hey, why not sign up, and while you’re at it, drop a comment, share it with a friend, and check out this other piece of content!

That seems like a safe bet, right? The more the merrier, if one of them doesn’t work the others will, right? Well, not really. It’s like throwing a bowl of spaghetti at the wall and hoping that some of it will stick. You’ll just end up with a broken bowl and a big mess of marinara on the floor.

Don’t confuse your audience. Stick with one clear call to action. Don’t know where to start? We’ve got you covered.

Here Are 10 Effective Social Media Calls to Action

Give Something Free 

There’s no sweeter string of letters than F-R-E-E. Who doesn’t like getting something for free? 

Not only does getting something for free feel good. More importantly, missing out on something free feels bad! 

Offering your audience something free can be one of the most effective social media calls to action. Some free information, a free sample, a free trial. They’ve got nothing to lose except missing out on something free. 

Pssst. Speaking of free, don’t miss out on your access to hundreds of Egyptian influencers with state of the art analytics with a free Trendster account.

Focus On the Benefit

If you’re reading this then you’ve probably been on the internet for more than a minute and have had to create at least a few dozen accounts for one thing or another. 

No one likes signing up for a new account. Type in your email and cross your fingers hoping to not receive endless spam. Type in the same password you use for everything. Passwords don’t match. Type it again. Add in your name, address, birth date, favourite color, blood type, allergies. Oh and after all that, you need to prove that you aren’t a robot. Ugh. 

So why do we create accounts? To get something in return at the end. Having a social media profile, access to online courses, access to a service. So don’t focus on the fact that users have to sign up or put in any work. Effective social media calls to action focus on what audiences will get at the end. Start making friends, learn something new, browse hundreds of Egyptian influencers. Wink wink nudge nudge. 

Ask Them a Question

What? A question? Why? It’s simple. Questions grab attention. They make readers stop and think. Right? 

A question is a great way to start a conversation with your audience. Though it may not lead to a direct sale or download, it’s still an effective call to action. Engaging with your audience helps build long term relationships that are key to forming a brand community. Questions are also a great way to learn more about what your audience wants and needs. How else can questions be used as a call to action?

Tag A Friend

Although it looks simple at first sight, this may be one of the most effective calls to action on our list. The reason why is rooted deep in our psychology. 

We are much more likely to trust a recommendation from a friend or even a third party than we are to trust self promotion. It makes sense, doesn’t it? After all, a friend or third party would not have any incentives other than our best interest. 

Our social brain is much more powerful than any algorithm Facebook coughs up. People who respond to this call to action and tag a friend can bring you to the attention of the perfect person. That person will also be much more likely to engage with you given that you were recommended by a friend. Sharing content with friends, like this article you’re reading right now, is a great way to give them value and to build social credit. 

Save It For Later

We’ve all read that statistic that if Facebook was a country it would be the most populated on Earth. These days, it feels truer than ever. Whether you open facebook, instagram, or whatsapp, you’re bound to be inundated with videos, photos, and messages. It’s hard enough getting heard in the first place when your content rises out of the maelstrom of media. It’s even harder to rediscover that content just a day later. Things move fast online. 

Let’s say that a month after seeing your piece of content, a viewer decides that your product would make the perfect birthday gift. But they can’t quite remember your name, so they can’t find you. When you ask people to save a piece of content ensures that they’ll have it handy when it comes to mind. 

The act of saving a piece of content also makes it more likely that they’ll remember it later. Now that’s one simple but effective social media call to action. Why not screenshot it so that you can use it when you’re planning your next piece of content?

Tell Half the Story

Have you ever watched a bad movie? You weren’t glued to the chair, the remote wasn’t broken, no one had a gun to your head, there were tons of better options to watch. You could have gotten up or changed it at any time. But you didn’t. Why’s that? Our brains don’t like to leave mysteries unsolved. It’s an instinct so powerful that you’ll sit through an hour and a half of horrible acting just to reach an ending you don’t even care for. 

This instinct also makes for an effective social media call to action. Don’t post a full piece of content. Share a preview or a sneak peak and let people know where they can go to access the rest. It also happens that bite sized content performs better on social media. You may have visited us from our Instagram. We were only able to share a little bit of this information on there, so we’ve redirected our audience here for the full information.

Challenge Them

Everybody likes a good challenge. Challenges can come in all shapes and sizes. You can offer a prize. You can ask people to do something for a good cause. You can ask people to create a piece of content. The possibilities are almost endless!

The great thing about challenges is that they both help your audience form meaningful with you and are also a great way of spreading a message. You can use a hashtag or make use of interactive social media features like polls and duets. This call to action is also perfect for social media thanks to its more interactive nature. 

Shop Now

This one’s pretty straight forward. With Facebook and Instagram’s new shop features, buying your product online is easier and faster than ever. It also avoids unnecessary steps of leading your audience to more hoops before buying your product. If your end goal is to sell a product and you’ve created a piece of content that promotes it well, then go in for the sell!

For A Limited Time

Few sounds are as stressful as a ticking clock. It doesn’t matter if it’s counting down to an exam’s time limit or an explosion. The sensation of time running out sends adrenaline coursing through our veins. 

The reason most calls to action don’t work is that they have no sense of urgency. Check out this link today… or tomorrow… or next month. It’s not going anywhere really. So what’s the hurry?

If you have a limited time offer or a limited quantity of products, then you’ve got a very effective social media call to action in your hands. Highlight it!

“You May Also Like”

If an audience member liked your piece of content, why not bring more of it to their attention? That’s the basic premise of all the algorithms that social media are built on after all. 
If you want to convert a casual viewer into a loyal fan, this is an effective social media call to action. As we highlighted earlier, on social media, content moves fast. This is a great way of making sure that your older content doesn’t get left behind. You wouldn’t want people to miss that awesome article you wrote about how to start an affiliate campaign.

Who’s Calling?

You now know all about effective social media calls to action. But don’t forget this one last key piece of advice.

The age old adage goes “don’t shoot the messenger” but in truth, the messenger is just as important as the message. Influencers are the best at sharing your calls to action with engaged audiences. With Trendster can explore hundreds of Egyptian influencers with state of the art analytics today and discover the perfect one to collaborate with.